Hemmer-foot for sewing machines



July 12, 1955 o. B. REID HEMMER-FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1954 Fig.2

INVENTOR. Orland 5. Reid BY Q WITNESS ATTORNEY United States atent OfiFice 2,712,801 Patented July 12,, 1955 SEWENG MACHINES rland B, Keniiworth, N. 3., assignor to The Singer lt lanui'aeturing Company, Elizabeth, N. 3., a corporation of New Jar Application April 12, 1954, Serial No. 422,396 4 'Claims. (Cl. 112-441) This invention relates to hemmer-foot attachments adapted for use with sewing machines and the primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved hemmer-foot designed to facilitate the hemming of thin fabrics having one or more cross-seams forming enlarged portions that must pass through the hemmer-foot.

United States Fatent No. 2,281,275 disclosed one form of hernrner-foot attachment having provision for accommodating enlargements such as cross-seams. While the device shown in the prior art patent has been satisfactory for many operations, it has been found desirable to provide a hemmer-foot that would more advantageously accommodate thin fabrics having cross-seams of any thickness and any lengths.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a hemmer-foot is provided having a laterally yielding member in the form of a U-shaped guide-section, the outer convex surface of the guide-section being provided with an apertured lug which is pivotally supported at the free end of a lever which is also pivotally mounted.

For a complete and clear understanding of the invention and its various objects, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hemmer-foot embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view disclosing the detailed construction of parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The hammer-foot, drawings, has a shank 11 shown attached to a resser-bar 12 of a sewing machine and the shank 11 terminates at its lowermost end in a sole-plate 13 formed with the usual needle-aperture 14 adapted to accommodate a reciprocable needle (not shown). He sole-plate 13 has a forwardly extending toe portion 16 and a hemmer-scroll 17 is soldered or otherwise secured to the free end of the toe portion 16. The scroll 17 is extended at its lowermost edge to provide a fabric-supporting apron 18 adapted to overlie the usual cloth-plate 19 of a conventional sewing machine. The hemmer-scroll 17, which is of conventional design has a spiraled work-turning leading edge 21 which functions in a known manner to hemfold the marginal edges of fabric sections passing through the hemmer.

In order to avoid clogging of the hernrner-scroll 17 or the creation of excessive resistance to the passage of the fabric therethrough, the side edge turning wall 2% of the hemmer-scroll 17 is apertured or cut away as at 22 thereby being adapted to receive a laterally yielding U-shaped closure member 23 the inner U-shaped concave surface 24 of which normally forms a portion of the edge-turning wall of the scroll 17. The rear end of the member 23 has a rearwardly extending pilot 26 and the outer convex surface of the U-shaped closure member 23 is provided with an outwardly disposed lug 27 having a vertically extending stepped hole 23. The lug 27,

illustrated in the accompanying follow the fabric which carries the closure member 23, is pivotally supported at the free forward end of a lever 29 by means of screw 31 which passes through the stepped hole 28 and is screwed into a threaded hole 32 provided in the reduced end 33 of the said lever 29. The rearward end of the lever 29 is apertured by a vertically extending stepped hole 34 and the lever 29 is pivotally mounted at its rear on a screw 36 which passes through the hole 34 and is threaded into a cutaway portion 37 of the soleplate 13. A leaf-spring 38, which has a free bent end 39 and an intermediate curved portion 41, is secured at its rearward end by screws 4ll40 to a vertical face 42 of the sole plate 13 at a location adjacent to the lower end of the shank 11. The end 39 of the spring 38 en gages the outer horizontal surface of the lever 29 and thereby urges the lever 29 and the closure member 23 toward the axis of the hemrner. Because the closure member 23 is pivotally mounted on the end of pivotally mounted lever 29, the surface 24 of the member 23 will passing through the hemmer to a much better advantage than occurs in previously used hemmers. As a cross seam passes through the hemmer, it first will engage the front end or tip 23' of the member 23. This causes the member 23 to pivot slightly counterclockwise, as seen in Fig. 2, about the screw 31 and also causes the lever 29 to give slightly against the pressure of the spring 38. When this happens, the other end 23" of the member 23 remains close to the fabric passing through the scroll and eifectively controls the movement thereof. As the cross seam moves opposite the center of the member 23 and thus opposite the lug 27 the member 23 pivots slightly clockwise until the axis of the member 23 becomes substantially parallel to the axis of the scroll 17. As the cross seam moves further into the hemmer the member 23 pivots a little more in the clockwise direction with the result that the end 23 moves away from the center line of the scroll. This causes the end 23 to move close to the center line of the scroll, thereby controlling the movement of the fabric passing through the hemmer. In other words, the movement of the member 23 is such that some portion thereof is always controlling the movement of the fabric as it passes through the hemrner. This arrangement is especially advantageous when thin fabrics are passing through the hemmer. In connection with the above, it will be noted that the pilot 26 limits the swinging movement of the member 23 about the pivot 31.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A sewing machine hemmer-foot comprising a sole plate, a scroll formed as part of said sole-plate and having an axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction, an apertured edge-turning wall formed as part of said scroll, a fabric-supporting apron formed as an extension of said scroll, a U-shaped member adapted to close the aperture in said edge-turning wall and thereby normally forming a part of said edge-turning wall, a lever apertured at both ends, means for pivotally mounting one end of said lever on said sole-plate, means for pivotally mounting said U-shaped member on the free end of said lever, and a spring yieldingly biasing said U- shaped member toward the axis of said scroll.

2. A sewing machine hemmer-foot comprising a soleplate, a scroll formed as part of said sole-plate and having an axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction, an apertured edge-turning wall formed as part of said scroll, a fabric-supporting apron formed as an extension of said scroll, a U-shaped member adapted to close the aperture in said edge-turning wall and thereby normally forming a part of said edge-turning wall, an outwardly di posed lug formed on the convex surface of said U-shaped member, a lever apertured at both ends, means for pivotally mounting one end of said lever on said sole-plate, means for pivotally mounting said lug on the free end of said lever, and a leaf-spring having one end fastened to said sole-plate and the other end bearing against said lever and thereby yieldingly biasing said U-shaped member toward the axis of said scroll.

. 3. A sewing machine hemmer-foot comprising a shank adapted for securement to the Presser-bar of a sewing machine, an apertured sole-plate formedon the lower end of said shank, a toe portion formed as a part of the sole-plate, a scroll also formed as part of said sole-plate and having a substantially horizontal axis, an apertured edge-turning wall formed as part of said scroll, a fabricsupporting apron formed as an extension of said scroll, a U-shaped memberadapted toclose the aperture in said edge-turning wall and thereby normally forming a part of said edge-turning wall, an outwardly disposed lug formed on the convex surface of said U-shaped meniber, a lever apertured at both ends, means for pivot-ally mounting one end of said lever on said sole-plate, means for pivotally mounting said lug on the free end of said lever, and a leaf-spring having one end fastened to said sole-plate and the other end bearing against said lever and thereby biasing said lever and said U-shaped member toward the axis of said scroll.

4. A sewing machine hemmer-foot constructed in accordance with claim 3 and in which said U-shaped member has a rearwardly extending pilot adapted to limit the pivotal movement of said U-shaped member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Enos Apr. 28, 

